News From The Epicenter

The first 'article' is actually a very interesting video clip from Fox News (there are two consecutive video clips - both worth watching) which gives us an important update from the Middle East:

Countdown To Armageddon: Israel Ready To Attack Iran

The next article is interesting in the context of the idea many of us have pondered for a while now - that is, the idea that Iran has been baiting Israel into an attack. Below, we see this idea seemingly confirmed by a 'senior' Iranian commander:

Senior Iranian Commander 'Welcomes' Israeli Strike

A senior Iranian commander says a possible Israeli airstrike against his country's nuclear facilities is "welcome" because it would give Iran a reason to retaliate and "get rid of" the Jewish state "forever."

The remarks by Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, head of the Revolutionary Guard's air force, were reported Saturday by the official IRNA news agency.

Hajizadeh says in the event of an Israeli strike, Iran's response would be "swift, decisive and destructive." But he also claims Israeli threats of a strike are just part of a psychological war against Iran.

His comments are the latest in a war of words between the archenemies.

Israel considers Iran an existential threat because of its suspect nuclear program. Iran denies seeking atomic weapons, saying its uranium enrichment is for peaceful purposes only.

UN Chief Condemns Iran Leaders' Anti-Israel Remarks

Not that it matters:

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon sharply criticized Iran's supreme leader and president on Friday, describing their latest verbal attacks on Israel as "offensive and inflammatory."

Many thousands of Iranians shouted "Death to America, death to Israel" during state-organized protests on Friday and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told them there was no place for the Jewish state in a future Middle East.

"The Secretary-General is dismayed by the remarks threatening Israel's existence attributed over the last two days to the Supreme Leader and the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran," the UN press office said. "The Secretary-General condemns these offensive and inflammatory statements."

Romney: U.S. Must Stop Iran's Genocidal Regime

US Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney said Friday that the US "must lead the world in stopping Iran's genocidal regime from obtaining a nuclear weapons capability."

Romney's comments came after Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Friday that Israel is a "tumor" that needs to be wiped out. The Republican presidential candidate reiterated remarks he made in a visit to Jerusalem in July, claiming: "We have seen the horrors of history. We will not stand by. We will not watch them play out again."

"Ahmadinejad’s latest outrageous remarks are just another reminder of what is at stake," Romney stated. The comments by Ahmadinejad came at a rally marking Al-Quds Day (Jerusalem Day), an annual anti-Zionist event calling for Palestinian liberation.

Persecution Blog: Christians Fleeing By Thousands

Thousands of Christians have fled Syria after being accused of supporting the Assad regime or observing a "Western religion." Church groups report that some believers have even been killed. Among those killed was Atallah Ibrahim Bitar, who was shot to death while taking food to people forced into hiding by a week-long bombardment, according to Christian aid workers. Most of the 10,000 Christian residents have left the area of Qusayr, near Homs, "after reportedly being given an ultimatum to leave, a threat which was also echoed by the mosques," according to aid workers in the region. Workers with another ministry described the city as "an extremely dangerous place for those who remain and it is clear that Christians no longer feel safe in their homes." According to a Dutch aid group, 90 percent of Christians living in Homs fled after "fanatics" forced them to leave their homes. An estimated 50,000 people have fled Homs since February. Source:

Report: Muslim Brotherhood "Crucifies" Opponents

Remember - we have been told repeatedly by the MSM that the Muslim Brotherhood is a "moderate" group. Also don't forget, the U.S. administration is actively supporting the Muslim Brotherhood:

As the Muslim Brotherhood continues to solidify its ever-expanding power in Egypt, several Arabic news agencies — including Arab News, Al Khabar News, Dostor Watany and Egypt Now — are reporting that opponents of the Muslim Brotherhood were “crucified” in Egypt last week

A Sky News Arabic correspondent in Cairo confirmed that protestors belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood crucified those opposing Egyptian President Muhammad Morsi naked on trees in front of the presidential palace while abusing others. Likewise, Muslim Brotherhood supporters locked the doors of the media production facilities of 6-October [a major media region in Cairo], where they proceeded to attack several popular journalists.

El Balad adds that the supporters of Tawfik Okasha, another vocal critic of President Morsi—the one who widely disseminated the graphic video of a Muslim apostate being slaughtered to cries of “Allahu Akbar”—gathered around the presidential palace, only to be surrounded by Brotherhood supporters, who “attacked them with sticks, knives, and Molotov cocktails, crucifying some of them on trees, leading to the deaths of two and the wounding of dozens.”

Far from condemning these terrorists, Al Azhar, Egypt’s most authoritative Islamic institution, has just issued a fatwa calling for more violence and oppression, saying that “fighting participants in anti-Muslim Brotherhood demonstrations planned for 24 August is a religious obligation.”

media with “painful an

Additionally, “Militant Muslims crucifying their opponents is a regular feature of the Islamic world–recent cases coming form the Ivory Coast, where two Christian brothers were crucified, similarly by supporters of a Muslim president who ousted a Christian; Indonesia, where Islamic separatists crucified a fellow Muslim for being a military informant; and in Iraq, where Muslim militants crucified Christian children.”

According to Koran, crucifixion is proper punishment for anyone who “makes mischief in the land.”

“The punishment of those who wage war against Allah and His messenger and strive to make mischief in the land is only this: that they should be murdered or crucified or their hands and their feet should be cut off…” (Koran 5:33).

It may also be important to note that an Egyptian MP recently proposed to institutionalize Sharia’s most brutal punishments— including crucifixion.

“In short, under the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, the bottle has been uncorked and the Islamic Genie set loose. Expect much worse to come,” Ibrahim concludes.

The article below most definitely fits into the category of "take it with a grain of salt" and the usual disclaimers are in effect (remember - we cast a 'wide net' in efforts to get to the truth, in the midst of massive mis-information, distortions of the truth, etc., and we have to use the discernment of the Holy Spirit and common sense in reading news from around the world). We are also in the last days, however, and almost anything is possible. With that, we see the following:

New DHS Informant Leaks A Shocker